Rotary engine.



No- 804,134. PATENTED NOV. '7, 190.5.

4 G. A. KELLY. ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25, 1905.

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G. A. KELLY.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26, 1905.

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Wiiwgooeo No. 804,134. PATENTED NOV. 7, 1905. G. A. KELLY.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION rmm APR. 25, 1905.

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No. 804,134. PATENTED NOV. '7, 1905.

G. A. KELLY.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR-.26, 1905.

. 5 SHEETS-SHEET 4. 75

No. 804,134. PATENTED NOV. 7, 1905..

G. A. KELLY. ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25, 1906.

6 SHEETSSHBBT 5.

7 5, aifiiiii .n l A 23 wi/hmmw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Nov. 7, 1905.

Application filed April 25, 1905. Serial No. 257,324..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. KELLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lon gview, in the county of Gregg and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Rotary Engine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to engines of the turbine type wherein the impact of the steam or other motive fluid against abutments on a rotary piston is employed to effect the movement of said piston.

One of the principal objects is to provide a simple and novel structure of the above character wherein the same steam is applied a number of times to the piston, so that the expansive force thereof is utilized with a consequent increase of power.

Another object is to provide an engine that will be balanced and consequently will be without end thrusts, thereby reducing the friction and wear of the parts to a minimum.

Still another object is to provide an exceedingly compact engine made up of simple parts that can be readily assembled and disassociated and which are not liable to become injured or deranged.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. wherein Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the engine. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is an irregular sectional view taken substantially on the line ll of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a development of the structure. Fig. 6 is a development showing a slightly-modified embodiment of the invention.

Similar reference-numerals designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawlngs.

1n the embodiment illustrated a suitable base 7 is employed, on which is mounted a cylinder or casing comprising a central partition-wall 8, to the opposite sides of which are fastened heads 9, that are preferably in the form of shells comprising inner walls 10 and outer walls 11, thus forming chambers 12. The innerwalls 10 are spaced from the adjacent faces of the partition 8, forming piston-chambers 13, said opposing faces being flat.

An engine-shaft 14 is suitably journaled in a casing, extending through the heads and partition-wall, and secured to this shaft are spaced rotary pistons, each in the form of a wheel,

having hubs 15 abutted and secured together in any suitable manner-as, for instance, by tie-bolts 16. The peripheries of the wheels carry radially disposed transversely curved blades 17,held in place by any suitable means as, for instance, bands 18, shrunk upon or otherwise secured around the outer ends of the blades. The pistons are located in the piston-chambers 13, and the hubs preferably extend entirely across the cylinder or casing, as shown in Fig. 1.

The partition-wall 8 is provided with a steam space or pocket 19, preferably extending entirely about the same and being fed from a suitable supply pipe 20, connected to the lower portion thereof. Leading from this steam-space, as shown particularly in Fig. 5, are oppositely-extending inclined flaring nozzles 21, the outer ends 22 of which, as shown, are preferably oblong in form and constitute discharge-mouths opening into the inner sides of the piston-chambers in line with the blades 17. The inner or inlet ends of the nozzles are in the form of valve-seats 23, and coacting therewith are suitable valves 21, having exposed actuating devices 25, whereby the passage of steam or other motive fluid through the nozzles is controlled. Located directly opposite the discharge-mouths 22 of the nozzles 21 on the opposite sides of the blades are inlet-mouths 26 of motive-fluid-conducting channels 27, having their inlet portions curved away from the pistons and contracted, as shown, and being provided with flaring discharge portions 28, disposed at an inclination to and communicating with the outer sides of the piston-chambers in rear of the nozzles 21, the discharge-mouths 29 being oblong in form and directing the steam against the blades. A plurality of curved deflector-blades 30 are located in the inlet-mouths 26 and are arranged to deflect the motive fluid passing thereinto toward the contracted portions of the channels. The cross sectional area of these channels is greater than that of the nozzles 21, and their discharge-mouths 29 are greater than the discharge-mouths 22 of said nozzles. Located in line with the dischargemouths 29 and on the opposite sides of the piston-chambers 13 are inlet-mouths 31 of similarly-shaped channels 32, which in turn lead to other discharge-mouths 33 at the inner sides of the piston-chambers. Deflectors 34, similar to the deflectors 30, are located in the inlet-mouths for these channels.

The channels 32 are in turn larger than the channels 27. Still other channels 35, having inletmouths 36, are arranged on the outer sides of the piston chambers and have dischargemouths 37, which direct the motive fluid against the blades. These latter channels 35 are still larger than those from which they receive the motive fluid. In the embodiment illustrated in the first five figures the last set of channels 35 discharge against the pistons and deliver to exhaust-chambers 38, arranged between the pistons, said chambers being connected to a common exhaust-pipe 39. The number of channels employed can of course vbe varied as desired. For instance, in Fig. 6,

an even number is shown, the additional channels 40 being arranged between the pistons in the partition and consequently exhausting, as shown at 41, into the outer chambers 12 of the heads. As this structure is in other respects similar to that already set forth, no additional description is thought to be necessary. It will be observed that in the engine the inner sides of the channels are defined or separated from the piston-chambers by web portions 42, which web portions, furthermore, space the inlet and outlet mouths of each channel apart. In other words, these channels are more than mere pockets or openings in the walls of the piston-chambers.

In operation the steam or other expansible motive fluid is introduced to the engine through the pipe 20 and may be automatically controlled in the ordinary manner by the usual governor mechanism. This motive fluid entering the steam-chamber 19 completely surrounds the pistons and various channels, so as to keep the same heated, and thereby maintain the active steam in a high state of efficiency throughout its passage through the engine. A certain amount of this steam is directed through the nozzles 21 against the blades and is directed by the curvature thereof across the piston-chambers into the receiving-mouths 26 of the first set of channels. In these channels the steam is expanded and again delivered against the blades, escaping inwardly across the same to the succeeding set of channels and thence being passed back and forth until the exhaust is finally reached, expansion taking place in each channel, so that efficient impacts of the same steam are secured a number of times and practically the entire power of said steam is thus developed. The enlarged inlet-mouths of the various channels permit the ready entrance of steam, while the deflectors serve to turn the same into the channels, and thus avoid friction and back pressure, which might otherwise be occasioned by the impact of the steam against the rear walls of said channels. It will thus be seen that in this structure the expansive force of the steam is utilized and a consequent increase of power secured therefrom. Moreover, the engine is balanced,

not only because of the delivery of steam on opposite sides of each piston, but also in viewof the fact that two pistons are employed, so that the outward and inward pressure is at all times balanced and no end thrust is brought upon the shaft. Therefore, excessive friction and wear of the parts are avoided. A still further advantage resides in the fact that the various parts are exceedingly simple, they can be readily and cheaply manufactured and assembled, and furthermore, if necessary, the engine can easily be taken apart.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, and many advantages of the herein-described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having'thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder or casing having hollow walls forming between them a piston-chamber, of a piston operating in the chamber, said hollow walls having walled channels provided with inlet and outlet mouths communicating with the sides of the piston-chamber and delivering motive fluid from one to the other across the same and against the piston, said channels having portions located in the spaces within the walls, and means for supplying motive fluid to said channels.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder or casing having a piston-chamber and a steam-chamber separate from the piston-chamber, of a piston'operating in the pis ton-chamber, said cylinder or casing having walled channels communicating withthe'piston-chamber and having portions located in the steam-chamber, and means for introducing steam into the chamber and conducting the same to the different channels.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder or casing'having walls forming between them a piston-chamber, of a rotary piston located in the chamber and having radially-disposed peripheral curved blades, one of said walls having a steam-space extending around the casing, and a'flaring nozzle extending from the steam-space, communicating with the piston-chamber and located at an inclination to the blades, said walls furthermore having conducting-channels successively located on opposite sides of the piston-chamber and having spaced inlet and outlet mouths communicating therewith, the outlet-mouth of one being arranged opposite the inlet-mouth of the next adjacent, said channels having their intermediate portions contracted and flared toward the outlet-mouths, and certain of said channels having their walls located in the steam-space and means for controlling the supply of steam to the nozzle.

4. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder or casing comprising outer walls and a partition between them, of spaced rotary pistons operating in the cylinder on opposite sides of the partition and having abutments, and means forming successively-arranged channels on opposite sides of each piston, said channels having mouths that open into the paths of movement of the abutments for directing motive fluid against such abutments.

5. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder or casing, of spaced rotary pistons located within the cylinder and having peripheral blades, means for directing motive fluid against the blades of each piston, and means for directing such fluid away from the blades after its impact therewith and returning it under expansion to the same in rear of its first impact.

6. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder or casing, of spaced rotary pistons located within the cylinder and having peripheral blades, means for directing motive fluid against the blades of each piston, and means successively located on opposite sides of each piston for directing such fluid away from the blades after its impact therewith and returning it under expansion.

7. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder or casing, of spaced rotary pistons located within the cylinder and having blades, means located between the pistons for directing motive fluid outwardly and at an inclination to and against the blades of both pistons,

and means located on the outer sides of both mouths, and means for introducing motive fluid into the casing and directing-it against the pistons.

9. In a rotary engine, the combination with a casing comprising a central partition-wall and end walls secured to the partition-wall and having portions spaced therefrom forming piston-chambers, of a shaft extending through the casing, spaced wheels secured to the shaft and operatingin the chambers on opposite sides of the partition, said partition having a steam-space therein and outwardly-inclined flaring nozzles extending from the steam-space to the piston-chambers, and means for controlling the supply of steam through the nozzles, said partition and outer walls having curved channels provided with spaced inlet and outlet mouths and successively located on opposite sides of the chambers, the outletmouth of one channel being disposed opposite the inlet-mouth of the succeeding channel.

10. In a rotary engine, the combination with a casing having spaced piston-chambers, of a partition constituting the wall between the chambers and having a motive-fluid space therein, pistons operating in the chambers, means for supplying motive fluid to the space, oppositely extending nozzles having inlets communicating with the motive-fluid space and piston-chambers, and means extending through the easing into the space and controlling the inlets of the nozzles to control the passage of motive fluid from the motive-fluid space through said nozzles.

11. In a rotary engine, the combination with a casing having spaced wheel-chambers, of a partition constituting the wall between the chambers and having a motive fluid space therein, said partition having separate oppositely and outwardly inclined nozzles extending from the motive-fluid space to the chambers and having outlets located in said space, and separate independently-movable valves for controlling the supply of motive fluid to said nozzles.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE A. KELLY.

Witnesses:

R. M. KELLY, L. D. KELLY. 

